Your Euro 2025 cheat sheet. Plus: USWNT's Biyendolo gets well-deserved recognition
Watch out for robots on the pitch today. Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan, Melanie Anzidei, Asli Pelit and Tamerra Griffin — welcome to Full Time!
Everything to know about the Euros
It's time for another summer of soccer! (We need to find a different way to describe this. Camp Soccer, Summer Soccerfest, Socapalooza?)
Even if the NWSL is on a break (play resumes Aug. 1), there are plenty of matches to watch between the Women's European Championship, the Women's Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America Femenina. Most NWSL teams also have friendlies and mini-tournaments lined up.
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Things kick off Wednesday with the Euros, so let's start there.
Reigning champions England are hoping to successfully defend their title, and Spain are attempting to complete a treble of major tournament wins — and will be relieved to have star midfielder Aitana Bonmati back after she was hospitalized with meningitis. Keep an eye on Meg and Tamerra's picks to win it all: Germany and France. Watch more here.
Switzerland are hosting the tournament that runs from July 2 until July 27 and have a good chance to get out of their group. Want to …
We have team guides for all 16 competing nations, which you can find here — and be sure to hit 'follow' on that page to stay updated throughout the tournament.
How to watch: You'll hear familiar voices calling and commentating on the matches via Fox, which will air 19 games on its main channel, 11 on FS1 and one on FS2. (You can stream the tournament on Fubo — try it for free.)
There will be two matches daily at 12 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET through July 9, then two matches happening simultaneously at 3 p.m. ET to round out the group stage by July 13. Full schedule here.
USWNT youth looks strong vs. Ireland
If the U.S. women's national team's last two matches — both against the Republic of Ireland, both 4-0 victories — have taught us anything, it's that the present and future of this squad will be powered by the youth. In keeping with her development manifesto, coach Emma Hayes brought six more uncapped players to this camp, four of whom earned their first call-ups.
Three of those first-timers (defenders Jordyn Bugg and Lilly Reale, and midfielder Sam Meza) last trained with the under-23s and competed in a pair of bangers against Germany a month ago. Those performances, in addition to their strong club contributions, earned them invitations to the senior side — and their experience with U-23s primed them to thrive in their USWNT debuts.
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Bugg was the epitome of composure in both games, and Meza controlled the tempo of the U.S. midfield with supreme maturity. Reale played the full 90 in the first match, her senior debut, and assisted Alyssa Thompson's 63rd-minute goal.
Next up: The U.S. concludes its three-match FIFA window with a clash against Canada on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., at Audi Field (7:30 p.m. ET on TNT, TruTV and Universo). The continental rivals' last two meetings in 2024 were decided by penalty kicks, with the U.S. triumphant each time. This will be a huge test for the team's rotating roster.
Youth generally stole the show at the USWNT's pair of friendlies against Ireland, but in addition to Rose Lavelle's strong return to the team with a goal and assist in the first match, Lynn Biyendolo got her moment in the sun in the second — serving as the team's captain for the first time and adding a goal with the armband on.
With so much focus on the missing Triple Espresso and the rise of talent like Thompson, the 32-year-old Biyendolo has been a steady presence for the USWNT and a crucial leadership voice in this camp. Since Hayes arrived last year, she has had nothing but praise for Biyendolo. Originally named as an alternate for the second time for the 2024 Olympics, Biyendolo got promoted to the 18 following an injury to Cat Macario.
'A player who epitomizes everything you want in a squad, someone who cares, someone who trains with great intensity, someone who's intentional,' Hayes said in Marseille last year.
Biyendolo finally getting the captain's armband, then going on to score, was a truly lovely full-circle moment. After the match, Biyendolo recounted her first pregame speech as captain to the TNT desk: 'Everybody's meant to be here. If you were not meant to be here, you wouldn't be here.'
She ended it on a note that drew from her own experience. 'Take a deep breath and let's just play, and play with joy.'
WAFCON, Copa up soon
The next several weeks will be filled with some of the biggest international competitions outside of North America. Beyond the Euros, the Women's Africa Cup of Nations begins this weekend, followed by Copa America Femenina next week.
WAFCON
The 2023 World Cup served as a gentle yet urgent reminder that women's football in Africa continues to rise, and this summer's Women's Africa Cup of Nations will showcase the best of what the continent has to offer starting Saturday.
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Hosts Morocco fell short of a title in the last tournament, which they also hosted, but will need to get through the likes of Nigeria and Zambia, whose rosters shimmer with international stars and homegrown talent champing at the bit for their breakout moments.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria are bolstered by Europe-based players — including Christy Ucheibe of Benfica and Rasheedat Ajibade of Atlético Madrid — while the Copper Queens of Zambia will be led by NWSL standouts Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, not to mention Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya, who are also gaining footholds in the league.
Copa America Femenina
The South American competition begins July 12 in Ecuador, with some of the region's brightest stars vying to dethrone eight-time champions Brazil. While Brazil remains a heavy favorite, the slow but growing investment in professional women's soccer across the continent has the potential to shake things up.
Argentina is only the second team besides Brazil to have won the competition. While La Albiceleste could be the tournament's dark horse, the Colombian national team is a top contender to earn its first Copa America crown after finishing second in 2022. Las Cafeteras are headlined by promising rising stars in Real Madrid's Linda Caicedo and Chelsea's Mayra Ramirez.
With Marta coming out of international retirement at 39 to join Brazil for Copa America, the competition is must-watch television. How often are we given a second chance to watch a women's soccer icon on the world stage? (Crossing our fingers for World Cup 2027, too.)
Catching up with Ali Krieger
Two years after retiring as an NWSL champion with Gotham FC, Ali Krieger isn't exactly slowing down. She's still lacing up for special occasions, but Krieger's focus has shifted from playing to building: The 40-year-old is investing in women's sports with the same intensity she once brought to the pitch, as Krieger shared with Asli over the weekend. From their conversation:
You're already investing in LOVB, the volleyball league. Are there any other women's sports you're interested in getting into?
💬 Absolutely. I would love to get into women's hockey, ice hockey, as well, basketball, of course, and then broaden my journey within the NWSL. I want to be an owner and investor fully into an organization so that I can have more of an impact on the day-to-day side of things. I think there's a lot on the table in the future, and I'm hopeful that women's sports will continue to grow and that I can kind of pick out little pieces here and there along the way that can benefit not only the women, you know, playing, but just the fan experience as well.
Kang's new role: Michele Kang was just named the president of Olympique Lyonnais … men's team? It's unclear how, if at all, this will affect OL Lyonnes as the two teams were split up, but if you need to understand it from the men's side, we've got a long read on John Textor.
Gotham in NYC: The NWSL break is firmly on, but teams are working to give us something to look forward to this summer. Gotham FC will head to Manhattan at Icahn Stadium to kick off their Concacaf W Champions Cup action against CF Monterrey Femenil. Sure, it's a smaller stadium, but it's a rare treat to see Gotham in NYC proper.
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Women's sports 📈: And while it's not soccer, we've got to shout out the three new expansion teams coming to the the WNBA in Cleveland, Detroit and Philly. Expansion fees? $250 million. It will bring the league to a record 18 teams by 2030. Keep an eye on what this could mean for expansion in the NWSL in the long term.
📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo's women's sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out our other newsletters.
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Advertisement In the below example against Boavista, we can see just how active he is across the front line, often taking it upon himself to charge into the space if team-mates aren't prepared. After a quick turnover in possession, Sporting move the ball out to the left. Gyokeres sets off without hesitation, hitting full speed to offer himself for the pass down the line. Even if defenders could keep up, such extreme movement forces them to pass him along — centre-backs don't really want to follow strikers across the width of the pitch and lose their position completely. It's in those moments of uncertainty that Gyokeres pounces, stealing the extra yard in the milliseconds it takes for his new marker to react to the oncoming train. Gyokeres reaches the pass and finds himself in his favourite position; bearing down on a sole defender from the left flank. He can go either way in this situation, but chooses to chop onto his right with Ibrahima Camara closing off the outside. His touch is slightly heavy, but Gyokeres contorts his body to make sure he gets over the shot, beaming the ball into the bottom right-hand corner. It's one of the secrets to his success, hidden away in the biomechanics — a strong, powerful frame to barge into goalscoring positions, but springy and elastic when he needs to be, able to wrap his body around shots to consistently ensure the best connection all across the box. Just as above, Gyokeres will often drift over to the left with his team on the ball, something that could appeal to Arsenal. Last season, just 32.9 per cent of their attacking touches came in the left third, the lowest proportion of any Premier League team. They were unable to progress the ball with the same efficiency as they have managed with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White on the opposite side. The Swede probably won't inspire intricate football and touch-tight triangles, but his work rate and forward momentum will certainly give Mikel Arteta's side more of a presence down that side should they need to shake things up. Here's a fine example of his one-man channel running against Austrian side Sturm Graz in the Champions League, after another high-intensity, in-to-out run to ensure he provides the out-ball option. Gyokeres receives the pass from Zeno Debast, before rolling his man and driving inside, dodging the recovery runs of three defenders as he shimmies around the goalkeeper and scores. A goal from nothing, without a team-mate in sight. In similarly devastating fashion, Gyokeres is quickly on the move as Morten Hjulmand nicks the ball back in midfield against RB Leipzig. Gyokeres isn't fussy about where he likes his through balls, which allows Daniel Braganca to spin and release quickly after he receives the ball in frame two. This time, defender Willi Orban blocks the striker from cutting inside and shows him onto his left, but Gyokeres is still able to finish confidently on his weaker side at the near post, just seven seconds after his team-mate regained possession inside their own half. While he may not find as much open space to run into in the Premier League, up against the kind of deeper blocks that Arsenal routinely face, he can certainly help them to maximise transitional moments after a quick recovery in midfield. Only Bournemouth, Newcastle and Liverpool won the ball more often outside their own defensive third than Arteta's side last season, but as the graph below illustrates, only 6.7 per cent of those resulted in a shot within 10 seconds, the third-lowest rate in the division. Gyokeres at least gives them the option to speed things up and break quickly — able to chase down a long pass and barge his way into dangerous areas unlike any player that Arsenal currently possess. It's not just coordinated counter-attacks: Gyokeres' battling spirit keeps defenders on their toes, moving his team up the pitch by hook or by crook. Here he is underneath a booted clearance against AVS, for example, holding off his marker before chesting it across for Francisco Trincao to bring it forward. Having dragged a centre-back into midfield, he is then typically quick to target the space in behind, picking up the return pass on the edge of the box and side-footing into the corner. Against Benfica, Gyokeres creates a goal for team-mate Geny Catamo after ambling out to the flanks to receive a throw in. Arsenal often like to target the byline with their throw-ins, and seeing Gyokeres shield the defender, surge into the box and pick out a cross will have set-piece coach Nicolas Jover rubbing his hands together with glee. If Gyokeres is to succeed at the top of a possession-dominant, Premier League side, he'll likely need to be more than just a runner. Not only will he face some of the stingiest defenders in world football — some of whom are capable of matching him stride for stride — but there will be days that the opposition frustrate Arsenal, sitting deep and blocking out the spaces he likes to attack with his pace. Advertisement This is where his physicality and movement in the box comes in, having already shown in the Championship that he can mix it with the big defenders and create spaces to strike the ball cleanly. Here he is making a nuisance of himself against Chaves, grappling with 6ft 2in (187cm) centre-back Ygor Nogueira while a neat move unfolds down the right. Full-back Ricardo Esgaio makes a dart into the box, and pulls a cross behind Gyokeres, but the Swede has managed to pin his centre-back by the time the ball comes in. Again, he can go either way here, but lets it roll across his body and finishes with his left on the swivel, showing he can provide that presence in the box that Arsenal sometimes miss. In the Premier League last season, only four teams attempted more crosses from open play than Arsenal. Just one side — Leicester City — converted a lower proportion of those into chances (Arsenal's was 10.2 per cent, Leicester's was 10 per cent). Despite his flying runs across the final third, nearly a quarter of Gyokeres' touches last season fell inside the penalty area, his energy and anticipation to sniff out the chances allowing him to be the all-action runner and close-range poacher all at once. He can score the scrappy goals, with acceleration in tight spaces getting him into promising areas to bundle home from close range. Look how quickly he is able to escape from his defender in the clip below, punishing any lapses of concentration with sharp movement towards goal. One area where Gyokeres isn't prolific is in the air. He didn't score a single header in league action last season — unexpected given his imposing frame — although only around 12.5 per cent of his shots came with his head. It's not a glaring weakness — Gyokeres has seen some commendable efforts saved — but a few high-profile chances have flashed past the post, including this late opportunity to win it against Arouca. As with all high-volume strikers, Gyokeres isn't immune to an off day in front of goal, but there is a clear ability with both feet to find the corners with precision from all angles. This finish on international duty against Azerbaijan is the kind of goal that drives his healthy over-performance relative to his expected-goals numbers, invaluable if he can dig something like this out in a scrappy, congested game. Again, the off-ball movement is sharp to get in front of his man, but more impressive is how Gyokeres is able to find the corner with a crisp, low finish into the far corner on his weaker side. The elephant in the room, of course, is the quality of opposition. While the Primeira Liga was ranked as the eighth-strongest league in the world in the most recent update of Opta's Power Rankings, 11 of the 18 teams involved ranked outside the top 300 last season. Relegated Boavista, who Gyokeres put four past in April to practically seal the title, are down at 786. There's a comparative case study to be made with Erling Haaland, similarly emphatic in his final season at Borussia Dortmund, when he crashed home 22 Bundesliga goals with a similar mix of brute force and power finishing. The Norwegian is clearly operating with reduced space in English football — it's been a while since we saw his signature, breakaway goal — but Haaland has still been able to use his freakish physicality to outmuscle and outmanoeuvre defenders close to goal, maintaining an incredibly healthy goalscoring rate for a more controlled, pass-heavy side. Advertisement Gyokeres' success likely depends on his ability to scrap with defenders and find those yards of space in the box. Encouragingly, a two-year spell with Coventry showed that he has what to takes against tough centre-backs, scoring some breathtaking goals — such as this strike against Millwall below — after holding off a defender, shifting the ball and finding the corners. Gyokeres is a stampede of a centre-forward, full-throttle his only gear. He would give Arsenal something different, and if they are to finally end a 20-year wait for a title, a little variety can't hurt. (Bernardo)
